Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday unveiled the iPad, the widely and wildly anticipated tablet-style computer that he called “a truly magical and revolutionary product.”

“What this device does is extraordinary,” Jobs said. “It is the best browsing experience you’ve ever had. … It’s unbelievably great … way better than a laptop. Way better than a smartphone.”

The computer will act as a sort of missing link between the two. The model Jobs demonstrated at an invitation-only event in San Francisco operated without a hardware keyboard, with Jobs typing on what he described as a nearly full-size touchscreen keyboard.

“It’s a dream to type on,” he said.

It has a nearly 10-inch screen, runs existing apps from the Apple apps store and is available in 16-gigabyte, 32-gigabyte and 64-gigabyte versions, according to Jobs.

It will be about a half-inch thick and weigh about 1½ pounds.

Jobs said the iPad will be lightning fast: “It screams,” he told a crowd that included former Vice President Al Gore.

The device will have a 1 GHz processor, an announcement that coaxed “oohs” and “ahs” from the audience.

Pricing will start at $499 for the 16-gigabyte version, $599 for the 32-gig version and $699 for the 64, Jobs said.

Having 3G mobile access will cost an extra $130 on each, he said.

Two mobile plans will be available through AT&T, and there will be no contracts, allowing customers to opt out at any time, according to Jobs.

They are scheduled to begin shipping in 60 days.

Jobs and executives from other companies announced several new apps designed for the iPad, including the New York Times and Major League Baseball. The slate also will be able to run all iPhone applications unmodified.

Some members of the struggling print media have expressed hope in recent weeks that a popular Apple tablet could renew interest in their content while bringing new revenue through subscription plans or iTunes purchases.

Also creating buzz at the event was the unveiling of the iBook interface, an aspect of the iPad that’s expected to take a big bite out of the e-reader market currently dominated by Amazon’s Kindle.

The iBook display looks like a real wooden bookshelf and will let users touch a book on that shelf to read it. It lets readers change fonts, tap the screen to turn pages or drag pages with their finger, according to Jobs’ demonstration.

Jobs demonstrated several functions on the iPad, including Google Street View and used the reader function to pull up the New York Times and Time magazine.

Apple disciples — and, yes, some await each new product announcement from the company with near cult-like devotion — have been anticipating a tablet computer for several years.

The company has been considering designs for such a device since as early as 1983, and some smaller consumer-electronics companies already have rolled tablet computers onto the market.

Attendees at the Apple event cheered on several occasions, hollering particularly loudly when a skinny Jobs took the stage, when the iPad’s price was announced, when Jobs debuted the iBookstore and when it was announced that the iPad will be sold unlocked, without a mobile carrier contract.

Some tech writers in the audience said they came into the event unsure of the concept but left as near-converts to the idea.

“I went into it prepared to be very skeptical, but I was impressed,” said Jacqui Cheng, a senior writer at the tech site Ars Technica. “As a person who uses an iPhone, a laptop and a Kindle, it’s kind of a natural way to combine all three things.”

Dylan Tweney, an editor at Wired.com, said the product did little to impress him.

Some tech writers said they were shocked that the iPad’s price is so low, when they had predicted it to cost about $1,000. And Cheng said she found it amazing that the iPad doesn’t lock consumers into a mobile contract.

But the iPad doesn’t have a camera, as some had hoped. There was some groaning across the Internet at the news that AT&T — which some users have accused of spotty coverage on the iPhone — would be carrying the iPad’s 3G signal too.

And the machine’s apparent inability to run multiple applications at the same time was getting some negative comments.

And then there’s the name. Lots of folks watching the announcement — some of them, no doubt, dedicated Apple haters — were quick to make the lowbrow connection between the name and a personal hygiene product.

While the Apple event was still going on, the term “iTampon” became a trending topic on Twitter.

Financial analysts debate how big the tablet market will be.

Bob O’Donnell, vice president of the firm IDG, said he expects the new tablet or slate computer category to result in 3 million to 4 million device sales this year, an amount he said was on par with e-reader sales for 2009. So, the category is notable but not enormous, he said.

Seven-year-old’s plan to raise £500 on sponsored bike ride snowballs on back of worldwide media coverage.

A seven-year-old boy who hoped to raise £500 for Haiti earthquake relief by cycling five miles around a local park has raised £120,000 in donations and gift aid, with the total still rising.

Charlie Simpson’s efforts have touched the hearts of people around the world with visitors to his JustGiving website page piling on the pounds following his sponsored ride for the charity Unicef in Fulham, south London, yesterday.

Charlie launched his efforts with a simple message: “My name is Charlie Simpson, I want to do a sponsored bike ride for Haiti because there was a big earthquake and loads of people have lost their lives. I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti.”

Media coverage of Charlie’s plan helped ensure donations flooded in. “Awesome effort”, “You are an inspiration to us all” and “Finally made the donation I should have got round to giving days ago” were among typical messages of support to the JustGiving site, which helps raise money for charity.

Unicef is running its own appeal for the earthquake, independently of the Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella organisation being used by several charities. Michael Newsome, its executive director, told the Daily Mirror: “There is something quite special about a child in the UK reaching out to the children of Haiti. It’s quite fabulous.”

Charlie said: “I just think it was quite sad when I saw the pictures on the TV.”

His mother, Leonora. said he had burst into tears but resolved to do something about the disaster. “What started off as a little cycle round the park with his dad has turned into something a lot bigger than that and we can’t believe it.”

A musical about Barack Obama’s “Yes we can” election campaign premieres in Germany this weekend, including love songs by the president to his wife Michelle and duets with Hillary Clinton.

Even John McCain and Sarah Palin are given stage time, with actors portraying the losing Republican candidates belting out songs on their behalf.

In all, 30 singers, actors and dancers are to perform in the musical “Hope – the Obama Musical Story” when it opens at the Jahrhunderthalle concert hall in Frankfurt in a bilingual mix of English and German. The audience may recognise that many songs quote from the politicians’ stump speeches during the 2008 US presidential campaign.

The venue for the premier seems appropriate since the optimism of Obamania remains largely intact in Germany, about a year after Mr Obama, an accomplished public speaker, became America’s first black president.

Set in Obama’s hometown of Chicago and viewed through the eyes of a group of people who share an apartment, the musical tries to show how Obama’s campaign gave people at the time hope for change and belief in a better future.

“The story starts 20 years ago, when Obama worked as a community organizer in Chicago, and leads all the way to the 2008 campaign,” said Jimmie Wilson, who plays the US president.

Most of the actors are American and many have performed in other German musicals.

As part of an interactive gimmick, the audience will be asked to participate in the show by playing tiny drums built into their chairs.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, will return to her broadcast roots and take her conservative message to Fox News as a regular commentator, the cable channel announced Monday.

“I am thrilled to be joining the great talent and management team at Fox News,” Palin said in a statement posted on the network’s Web site. “It’s wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news.”

Fox said that according to the multiyear deal, Palin will offer political commentary and analysis on the cable channel, as well as Fox’s Web site, radio network and business cable channel.

She also will host occasional episodes of Fox News’ “Real American Stories,” a series debuting this year that the network said will feature true inspirational stories about Americans who have overcome adversity.

“Governor Palin has captivated everyone on both sides of the political spectrum and we are excited to add her dynamic voice to the FOX News lineup,” Bill Shine, executive vice president of programming, said in a statement.

The network declined to say when Palin will start or how much she is being paid. Also unclear is how the arrangement will work, whether Palin will move to New York or commute from Alaska. Company representatives did not respond to calls seeking comment and Palin’s spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, did not respond to e-mails seeking comment.

Palin, 45, is hugely popular with conservatives and has more than 1.1 million Facebook followers.

She stepped down as Alaska governor in July, 17 months before the end of her first term in office and less than a year after she vaulted to overnight fame as John McCain’s running mate.

The bombshell resignation stunned even supporters and fueled widespread speculation on her next career step — with predictions ranging from seeking the presidency in 2012 to hosting a conservative talk show. She told Barbara Walters in November that a 2012 presidential bid was not on her radar but added she wouldn’t rule out playing some kind of role in the next presidential election.

Since resigning, Palin has had colossal success with her best-selling memoir “Going Rogue,” released four months after she left office. She finished a nationwide tour in December after hitting some of the political battleground states from the 2008 election and drawing thousands of fans.

If she were to seek the presidency, her new job would provide yet another stage from which to advance her conservative platform. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who sought the presidency in 2008, also hosts a talk show on Fox News and hasn’t ruled out another run for president.

Palin majored in journalism with an emphasis on broadcasting at the University of Idaho and worked part-time as a weekend sportscaster in 1988 for KTUU-TV in Anchorage. She wasn’t married at the time and used her maiden name Heath. The station’s sports director, John Carpenter, said the young broadcaster left after a few months because of the low pay.

Carpenter said he was sorry to see her go. She was a hard worker who enjoyed the entire process, not just being in front of the cameras, he said.

“She knew sports, she could talk sports, she looked OK on TV,” Carpenter said. “She had the aptitude, no question.”

Palin’s upcoming commentary career had her Facebook fans giddy with excitement Monday.

“Tell ’em like it is girl!!!!!!,” one person wrote on a post.

“I look forward to seeing you on Fox….but I hope it doesn’t prevent you from running in ’12!,” another wrote.

A CNN special investigation looks into the causes and effects of the Fort Hood shootings, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on CNN TV.

Thirteen flag-draped coffins left Fort Hood on Friday as authorities searched for a motive in the massacre that left more than 50 casualties at the largest U.S. military base.

Thursday’s mass shooting killed 12 soldiers and one civilian and wounded 38 people at the Fort Hood Army Post in Texas. The suspect in the shooting, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a licensed Army psychiatrist, was among the two dozen who remained hospitalized Friday night.

Hasan was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and was in critical condition but stable, a spokesman said. Investigators were waiting to speak to the comatose Hasan, who is under heavy guard, said Col. John Rossi, the post’s deputy commander.

The bodies of the 13 personnel who died were transported through a “ramp ceremony” to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for a dignified transfer, he said. It was a “truly moving ceremony.”

FBI agents helping investigate the shootings searched Hasan’s apartment on Friday while investigators sifted through the crime scene, Fort Hood’s military processing center, where soldiers report before they go to war.

Hasan, who worked at a hospital on the base, is accused of using two handguns in the shooting. Two law enforcement sources told CNN that one of the weapons used is an FN 5.7-millimeter pistol, a semiautomatic purchased legally at Guns Galore, a Killeen gun shop. Details on the other gun, identified only as a type of revolver, were not immediately available.

Rossi told reporters late Friday that both guns were privately owned and never registered at the post.

Earlier, officials said investigators were looking into whether some soldiers may have been shot accidentally by others trying to shoot the gunman. However, Rossi said, “All indications are that this is not a friendly fire incident. And, of course, that will be validated when the investigation is complete.”

Rossi attributed the high casualty rate to the “more than 100 rounds” fired by the gunman and the relatively small size of the room, among other factors.

Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who has been credited with shooting Hasan and ending the massacre, was among the wounded. She was in stable condition Friday night, according to her family and military officials. Munley’s partner, Senior Sgt. Mark Todd, was also lauded for “engaging” the shooter, Rossi said.

Todd, in an interview Friday night with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, described the intense scene as both officers fired shots at the accused gunman.

“He looked like he was calm. He was just pointing a finger at me,” Todd said. “The weapon … I just know I saw the weapon and that’s when we returned fire.”

Todd, a retired member of the military police, offered his condolences to the families of the victims. “I wish we could’ve gotten there sooner and helped out a lot sooner — but we got there as soon as we possibly could.”

As the Fort Hood community grieved its numerous losses, holding a candlelight vigil and setting up support lines, some details about the alleged gunman emerged. Relatives say Hasan, a U.S.-born citizen of Palestinian descent, was a “calm” individual who had been taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Others described him as a vocal opponent to the war on terror whose rhetoric concerned colleagues.

Fort Hood’s commanding general said witnesses have reported that the gunman yelled “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” during the rampage. However, Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said investigators had not confirmed that.

Hasan’s neighbors at his Killeen, Texas, apartment complex said he cleaned out his place just hours before the rampage and gave copies of the Quran to several residents.

President Obama, in remarks Friday morning, cautioned against “jumping to conclusions” about what had triggered “one of the worst mass shootings ever to take place on an American military base.”

He ordered that flags at the White House and other federal buildings be flown at half staff until Veterans Day, Wednesday of next week. “This is a modest tribute to those who lost their lives, even as many were preparing to risk their lives for their country,” the president said. “It’s also a recognition of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our safety and uphold our values. We honor their service, we stand in awe of their sacrifice, and we pray for the safety of those who fight and for the families of those who have fallen.”

Obama said he met with FBI Director Robert Mueller and representatives of other relevant agencies to discuss the investigation. He promised his administration will provide updates.

The central question investigators want to answer: Why would a member of the military who had been trusted with helping others achieve a healthier mental state allegedly shoot his comrades?

“He took care of soldiers with behavioral health problems and also evaluated people who had disability evaluations,” Braverman told reporters Friday morning.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, Hasan co-chaired a panel at the group’s May convention titled “Medical Issues for Psychiatrists in Disasters.”

Military records show Hasan received his appointment to the Army as a first lieutenant in June 1997 after graduating from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a degree in biochemistry. Six years later, he graduated from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ F. Edward Hebert School Of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, and was first an intern, then a resident and finally a fellow at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

He was promoted to major in May.

Army Lt. Col. Wayne Hall said Hasan was to deploy to Afghanistan to work with a unit already there as part of behavioral health support. It wasn’t clear when Hasan was scheduled to go overseas for what would have been his first deployment.

Since 2001, Hasan had been telling his family that he wanted to get out of the military but was unsuccessful, said a spokeswoman for his cousin, Nader Hasan. She added that he told his family he had been taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Nader Hasan issued a statement late Thursday on behalf of relatives, saying they were shocked by the shootings. Another family statement on Friday said, “We are mortified with what has unfolded and there is no justification, whatsoever, for what happened. We are all asking why this happened — and the answer is that we simply do not know.

“We can not explain, nor do we excuse what happened yesterday. Yesterday’s violence in no way reflects the feelings, beliefs, or principles of our family,” the statement continued, adding that the family is cooperating with authorities.

Windows 7, Microsoft’s first new computing operating system for two years, goes on sale today. Microsoft has chosen a relatively low-key launch for the software, which is designed to make it easier to share files and folders across multiple home computers, and browse the internet safely.

Microsoft’s last operating system, Windows Vista, which was released in January 2007, received a frosty reception from users and critics alike, who found that it didn’t work on some older, more basic machines, and didn’t recognise some peripherals, such as digital cameras and printers.

Microsoft has sought to avoid similar problems this time by working more closely with manufacturing and retail partners, such as Dell and PC World, to try and ensure the upgrade process is as simple as possible.

“Windows 7 is about more than just a collection of new features,” said Ashley Highfield, a senior Microsoft executive. “It’s a pivotal turning point in Microsoft’s history.”

He said that the company listened to user feedback when building the new software, and believed people would find it the most “efficient and fun” Windows operating system yet.

Around a billion people use the Windows operating system on their PCs, and Microsoft’s software powers around 90 per cent of the world’s computers. But Microsoft faces increasing competition from the likes of Apple and Google. Apple has just reported its best ever quarter for sales of its Mac computers, while Google has confirmed that it will be launching its own operating system, Chrome, some time next year.

“The launch of Windows 7 is absolutely critical for Microsoft,” said JP Gownder, an analyst with Forrester. “Microsoft took for granted with Windows Vista that simply releasing an operating system would bring automatic success.

“Windows 7 is Microsoft coming back to some key basics, some core fundamentals. The early signs are good, it’s had positive reviews, and that’s crucially important for the overall rehabilitation of the Windows operating system.”

However, some industry experts have criticised Microsoft for not making the upgrade process easier for the majority of computer users. An estimated 60 per cent of Windows users are still using Windows XP, the operating system released in 2001, but in order to upgrade to Windows 7, they will need to completely wipe their computer of all music, photos, documents and software first.

Some Microsoft executives have privately conceded that many consumers will find it easier to simply buy a new computer with Windows 7 pre-installed than to attempt to migrate to the new operating system from XP. Many retailers, including PC World, are also offering in-store upgrade services to help people switch platforms.

PARIS — The choice of Barack Obaman on Friday as the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, less than nine months into his eventful presidency, was an unexpected honor that elicited praise and puzzlement around the globe.

Normally the prize has been presented, even controversially, for accomplishment. This prize, to a 48-year-old freshman president, for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” seemed a kind of prayer and encouragement by the Nobel committee for future endeavor and more consensual American leadership.

But the prize quickly loomed as a potential political liability — perhaps more burden than glory — for Mr. Obama. Republicans contended that he had won more for his star power and oratorical skills than for his actual achievements, and even some Democrats privately questioned whether he deserved it.

The Nobel committee’s embrace of Mr. Obama was viewed as a rejection of the unpopular tenure, in Europe especially, of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

But the committee, based in Norway, stressed that it made its decision based on Mr. Obama’s actual efforts toward nuclear disarmament as well as American engagement with the world relying more on diplomacy and dialogue.

“The question we have to ask is who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world,” the Nobel committee chairman, Thorbjorn Jagland, said in Oslo after the announcement. “And who has done more than Barack Obama?”

Still, Mr. Obama, who was described as “very surprised” when he received the news, said he himself was not quite convinced, adding that the award “deeply humbled” him.

“To be honest,” the president said in the Rose Garden, “I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize, men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.”

He said, though, that he would “accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century.” Mr. Obama plans to travel to Oslo to accept the award on Dec. 10. He will donate the prize money of $1.4 million to charity, the White House said.

Mr. Obama, only the third sitting American president to win the award, is suddenly put in the company of world leaders like Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who won for helping end the cold war, and Nelson Mandela, who sought an end to apartheid.

But less prominent figures have also won the award.

The reaction inside the administration was one of restraint, perhaps reflecting the awkwardness of winning a major prize amid a worldwide debate about whether it was deserved.

Republicans in Washington, reacting in disbelief, sought to portray Mr. Obama as unworthy. In an official statement, Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said, “The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?’ “

But there was much praise as well, even if Mr. Obama’s allies worried that the prize might be a liability and even if much of the praise came from Europe, giving ammunition to conservatives who say Mr. Obama cares too much about opinion there.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France said the award marked “America’s return to the hearts of the world’s peoples,” while Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said it was an “incentive to the president and to us all” to do more for peace.

“In a short time he has been able to set a new tone throughout the world and to create a readiness for dialogue,” she said.

For a world that at times felt pushed around by a more unilateralist Bush administration, the prize for Mr. Obama seemed wrapped in gratitude for his willingness to listen and negotiate, as well as for his positions on climate change and nuclear disarmament.

Last year’s laureate, former President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland, saw the award as an endorsement of Mr. Obama’s goal of achieving Middle East peace.

“Of course, this puts pressure on Obama,” he said. “The world expects that he will also achieve something.”

The prize, announced as official Washington — including the president — was asleep, caught the White House off guard.

The first word of it came in the form of an e-mail message to the White House staff from the White House Situation Room, which monitors events worldwide around the clock, at 5:09 a.m. It carried the subject line “item of interest.”

Shortly before 6 a.m., the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, telephoned Mr. Obama, awakening him to share the news.

“There has been no discussion, nothing at all,” said the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

The award comes at a time of considerable challenges for the president, with few sweeping achievements so far.

On the domestic front, he is pressing Congress to overhaul the nation’s health care system. In foreign affairs, he is wrestling with his advisers over how to chart a new course in Afghanistan and has been working, with little movement, to restart peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Rose Garden appearance was an example of Mr. Obama’s heavy workload; it was squeezed into a day that already included his regular intelligence and economic briefings, a private meeting with a senator, lunch with the vice president, a major speech outlining plans for a new consumer protection agency and a strategy session on Afghanistan with his national security team.

Announcing the award, the Nobel committee cited Mr. Obama “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” and said that he had “created a new climate in international politics.”

In a four-paragraph statement, it praised Mr. Obama for his tone, his preference for negotiation and multilateral diplomacy and his vision of a cooperative world of shared values, shorn of nuclear weapons.

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said. “His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”

The other sitting American presidents to be given the award were Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, for negotiating an end to a war between Russia and Japan, and Woodrow Wilson in 1919, for the Treaty of Versailles.

Former President Jimmy Carter won in 2002 for his efforts over decades to spread peace and development. Mr. Carter called the award to Mr. Obama “a bold statement of international support for his vision and commitment.”

Former Vice President Al Gore won in 2007, sharing the prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for his work on climate change. Mr. Gore called Mr. Obama’s award “well deserved” on Friday.

Mr. Obama has generated considerable goodwill overseas, with polls showing him hugely popular, and he has made a series of speeches with arching ambition. He has vowed to pursue a world without nuclear weapons; reached out to the Muslim world, delivering a major speech in Cairo in June; and sought to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, at the expense of offending some of his Jewish supporters.

Mr. Obama has generated considerable goodwill overseas, with polls showing him hugely popular, and he has made a series of speeches with arching ambition. He has vowed to pursue a world without nuclear weapons; reached out to the Muslim world, delivering a major speech in Cairo in June; and sought to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, at the expense of offending some of his Jewish supporters.

But he has had to devote a great deal of his time to the economic crisis and other domestic issues, and many of his policy efforts are only beginning.

In addition to the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the situation in Iraq is extremely fragile; North Korea has staged missile tests; Iran continues to enrich uranium in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, though it recently agreed to restart nuclear talks; Israel has resisted a settlement freeze; and Saudi Arabia has refused to make new gestures toward the Israelis.

Ahmed Youssef, a Hamas spokesman, congratulated Mr. Obama but said the prize was based only on good intentions. Muhammad al-Sharif, a politically independent Gazan, was incredulous. “Has Israel stopped building the settlements?” he asked. “Has Obama achieved a Palestinian state yet?”

The Nobel committee did not tell Mr. Obama in advance of the announcement, said its chairman, Mr. Jagland. “Waking up a president in the middle of the night,” he said, “this isn’t really something you do.”

Steven Erlanger reported from Paris, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg from Washington. Reporting was contributed by Walter Gibbs from Oslo, Alan Cowell from London, Nicholas Kulish from Berlin, Isabel Kershner from Jerusalem, and Taghreed El-Khodary from Gaza.

First Night, Capitalism: A Love Story, Venice Film Festival
By Geoffrey MacNab
Monday, 7 September 2009

Michael Moore’s brand of populist polemics had more of a sense of burning urgency during the Bush era than it does now. His new film tub-thumps against the evils of corporate capitalism in America. It’s a message we’ve all heard before in the wake of the economic collapse, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the bank bailouts.

However, he delivers it in such rousing and entertaining fashion that he carries us with him. This may be a documentary but it has the same uplifting, folksy feel as old Frank Capra movies of the 1930s in which an American everyman (James Stewart or Gary Cooper) would take on the big, bad world of Washington or Wall Street.

The film opens by comparing the contemporary US to the Roman Empire in its terminal days of decline. Reality TV and wrestling, Moore argues, are the new equivalent to the “bread and circuses” during the time of the Caesars.

Capitalism: A Love Story isn’t really about American decline, though. It’s about renewal too. Moore makes fiery attacks on “condo vultures” (property speculators preying on home owners who lose their houses), Goldman Sachs bankers (who seemingly still hold the levers of American power) and deregulators from the Reagan era. We hear shocking stories about how poorly airline pilots are paid and how this puts passengers’ safety at risk. Moore rails against bankers who have tried to turn his beloved America into “a plutonomy,” a society in which the 1 per cent of the very, very rich lord it over the rest of the population. He bemoans the bank bailouts as a corporate coup d’etat and tries to work out where all the taxpayer money has gone. We hear the shocking story of the privatised juvenile detention centre whose owners made fortunes locking up youngsters on minor misdemeanours.

This is all familiar stuff. Moore delivers his arguments in his usual scattergun fashion, mixing archive footage, interviews, sarcastic voice-overs and his own interventions. (He spends a lot of time on Wall Street trying to make citizen’s arrests of bankers.) When you unpick the rousing rhetoric you quickly realise that contradictions and syllogisms abound. Coherence isn’t his strong point. Even so, this is moving and entertaining fare.

Alongside the attacks on the capitalist fat cats, Moore celebrates Americans who’ve fought back: workers who stage sit-ins, local residents who stop foreclosures, priests and economic gurus who speak out against the evils of capitalism. There’s no mention of Marx. Instead, Moore extols a version of American democracy embodied by Presidents like Roosevelt and Carter who had a basic sense of decency and fair play. The director sometimes seems naïve and sentimental. Nonetheless, he makes it clear throughout that this is his own story as much as it is that of his troubled country. We see home movie footage of Moore, enjoying what seemed to be a halcyon, all-American childhood – a time of near full employment when workers were treated decently and the old, pre-Reagan social contract was still in place. We then see the filmmaker and his dad visiting the ruins of the old factory where Moore Sr used to work.

“When I was young, I wanted to be a priest,” the filmmaker declares at one stage. In a sense, that is what he has become, with film as his pulpit. At his worst, he can be a hectoring and overbearing figure. Here, though, there is humour and pathos in his sermonising. He is an entertainer as well as a would-be prophet.